Welcoming the New Year

To celebrate John finishing his MBA and to say "good bye" to a bad year AND to get a moment to relax before craziness sets in this next year... I took John on a surprise trip to Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa. It was expensive and really stupid to have gone... financially speaking... but I refuse to regret it. John and I reconnected. We had fun. We relaxed.

Our trip started out with a visit to my Aunt Nancy. She lives within an hour away from the Resort.. so we stayed the first night with her family...had dinner

...played foosball.

New Years we ate at the Resort's restaurant and then relaxed in the Great Room with a drink. Since we rarely drink... we had to ask the bartender to tell us what to get.
LOL. How grown up of us!


The night was finished by watching a movie which incidentally ended about 5 until Midnight... when we welcomed the New Year by a quick peck as I talked with my sister on the phone.

New Years Day... John and I went trail riding for two hours. It was enjoyable and I've discovered that I'd very much like to ride... really ride..(sitting on a plodder who only follows the lead horse is not really riding to me...I kept wanting it to go off track and run but it wouldn't...too well trained...hehe)

It was freezing...in the 20's... and we were literally bone cold by the time we got back to our room. After sitting by the fire for awhile we realized we needed more warmth than what it offered and went and soaked in the hot tub and played in the heated pool. Later, we went down to the bar for dinner, had another drink (that's a record!) and played pool.

Afterward we snuggled in bed and watched two movies.

Our last day was a day of relaxation. We drove around a few mountain towns in the morning and then spent the rest of the day at the resort's spa. I enjoyed the spa but wouldn't necessarily wish to frequent them. I don't believe that I'll ever get to the point where I can accept the pretentiousness and the playacting...

She walked in...beautiful, soul lifting music quietly stirring the air. The desk lady smiled invitingly and whispered... "Mrs. B?... Welcome!...your attendant, Staci, will be with you in a moment". Staci soon collects her and shows her to the ladies rejuvenation center... with Swiss showers and ice water and a Sauna... where ladies stand around in their towels... looking red faced and relaxed. After donning a robe and slippers she is led to the relaxation room with spa lounges and cheap, Japanese flowers standing in copper tubes, two wall fountains, a fireplace, and gourmet refreshments of nuts and raisins and three different types of herbal tea... which Staci assures her is awaiting her pleasure. She sits on the only available lounge and places the dirty blanket over her bare legs...hoping of course she didn't inadvertently flash the room. After settling in she takes surreptitious looks around the room to size up whomever else is present. She notes nothing of distinction except the few who move proprietorially and with much self-importance...they amuse her for awhile but soon she finds herself riveted by the water trails from the wall fountains and commences to stare at them while she sips her tea... and tries to tune out the fatuous conversations around her...

Dinner was again at the hotel and then we ended the night by watching another movie. (what can I say?... one of the things we missed most about John being busy was watching movies together!)

Our trip was wonderful... pretentiousness aside... I most definitely would return and indeed am hoping to go back later this year... with the rest of my family...kids including. Hopefully we will be celebrating Bridgett kicking Cancer's ass again. I pray. I pray.

Although a wonderful break from real life and the worries that go with it... (honestly I gave myself permission to not worry about anything while there and was a bit guiltily surprised at how easy it was to kick everything out of my head)...it was just about the right amount of time to be away. I missed the girls an awful lot... to the point I physically felt desperate to see them. Since being home... I've been drinking them in... their faces, their words, their everything...